The Gentle Art of Being Seen: Reframing Personal Branding

More on the garden analogy, for those who cringe at self-promotion.

Mar 14, 2025

I found myself standing in the corner of a bustling corporate high rise downtown, clutching login credentials to LinkedIn accounts that weren't mine.

It was my first "big girl job" – crafting personal brands for partner executives at a firm where I quickly became known as "the LinkedIn girl" (and the Instagram girl for the corporate account).

Each day, I'd encourage these executives to stand for something – anything – rather than simply re-sharing the firm's standard content from the aggregator. Yet even as I helped others build their digital presence, I harboured a confession: personal branding still felt somewhat cringe to me.

The quiet resistance

This hesitation followed me through subsequent roles, and even as I founded Craft & Being, my content design studio. Despite years of experience developing brands and creating content for others, my inactive Instagram account and I remained happily behind the scenes. Client work filled up all the margin-time of our day-to-day life with each of our girls, and self-promotion still felt... Uncomfortable.

Echoes of my studies in Communications filled my head: Why did we need to commodify ourselves? Why couldn't we just have space to be?

The garden, not the billboard

I've since changed my tune, but not because I've suddenly embraced the concept of personal branding for myself. Instead, I've completely reframed how I think about sharing online:

It’s not merely “taking up space”. It’s being courageous enough to give your insights and learnings to anyone who would value it.

What we're really cultivating is a digital garden. A living collection of ideas, insights, and experiences that others can wander through, picking what serves them in their particular season.

And if no one engages?

I often speak with clients who worry they haven't built a large enough following or that their audience isn't engaging enough, so why bother sharing at all? This perspective misses some crucial points:

The silent lurkers… Those quiet observers who might never hit like or leave a comment, but who soak up your words. Your insights might change their day. Or their life. Sharing your ideas could be precisely the permission someone else needs to move forward.

And if you are growing a business, it’s worth noting that anyone considering a purchase these days takes multiple touch points and exposures to your work before deciding to make the leap. If you have a garden of your insights, proof, and expertise readily open to explore, it’s much easier to decide if it’s a heck yes, or not. If you only share once in a blue moon, well what basis is there to go off of? (This is clearly a note of encouragement to myself)

The gift of your journey

Everything you've learned that has helped you grow is a gift—not meant to be hoarded, but freely given. Creating and sharing takes us beyond ourselves, gently reminding us we're part of something much bigger, that we're intricately connected.

In a digital landscape that will increasingly be filled with AI-generated content, there's something powerful about human experience shared authentically. An "artisan" approach to sharing – one that combines modern tools with thoughtful, uniquely human craft – produces something that transcends fleeting trends. This is the way forward.

When you share, even into silence, you create opportunities for others to learn from your journey. It’s important to be reminded of the creative vulnerability inherent in sharing our work, and how important it is to connect with others navigating similar challenges. Your willingness to be seen creates space for others to do the same.

An invitation to begin

If you've been holding back from sharing your journey, insights, or creations, consider this a gentle invitation. Create for past you—celebrate your growth. Create for future you—the connections you’ll make, the person you’ll become. Create even for those silent lurkers who are quietly growing, learning, and becoming because you decided to hit publish.

Your online space isn't about self-promotion. It's a collection of insights for others and yourself to harvest from.

Your insights were never truly yours to keep. The wisdom you've gathered is meant to flow through you, not stop with you.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read. If you’re new to The Creator’s Pursuit, hi! I’m Camille Mendoza — brand and strategist, and founder of Craft & Being. I’m a designer and marketer by profession, but have been going down my own rabbit holes as I write on here. Lately, we’ve been exploring the relationship between consumption and creativity, the need for practices of contemplation, showing up as yourself, or simply take that next step toward visibility.

Here’s how I can support you:

The Creator’s Map – A guided brand discovery experience to help you clarify your brand, message, and audience so you can show up with confidence. [Waitlist open]
Content Clarity GPT – A guided AI conversation that helps you articulate what you’re all about. In a way that actually sounds like you. Refine your brand voice and messaging with ease.
Seed Planter Calls – One-on-one strategy sessions for untangling ideas and mapping your next move.

Or simply stick around to read! I’m grateful to connect with you.

Warmly,

Camille

P.S. Are you a silent lurker? Say hi!! Leave a comment or reply to this email, if you please :) I’m grateful you’ve taken time to read my ramblings.